You know what stories are really fun? Gentleman thieves! Sure, a heist with lots of guns and car chases and loud alarms can be really fun. But you know what’s cooler? Watching a group of refined thieves convince their mark to give them what they want, then vanish into thin air!
That’s why The Lies of Locke Lamora was such a thrilling read. I can’t wait to get into it more in next week’s review; this has quickly become one of my new favorite fantasy books.
But in the meantime, why don’t we have a look at the cover?
There are multiple covers for this book. While they’re all drawn by different, highly talented artists, they’re all very similar in many ways. Particularly in one way: the subject.
Camore is an amazing setting. Every single chapter of the book further develops the setting. From its culture to its history right down to the sports they play! By the time the book is done, you could be one-hundred percent convinced that it was indeed a real city.
Naturally, a city that well detailed makes for a good cover artwork. Often times, the best way to lure someone into a fictional world is to put it on full display. To use the cover like a window.
This artwork does an incredible job of that. It perfectly captures the dirty, cramped, and chaotic nature of the city. It even hints at the aquatic nature of the city with the canals there near the bottom-right corner of the page.
Unfortunately, there’s a problem with covers like this: they don’t do much for the actual story. We don’t get to see any of the characters or any of the major plot beats. Aside from the title, there aren’t many hints as to what actually happens in this book.
And even that is vague. Which is good! I love a vague title.
Most other covers of this book go the same way. Each one is an artist’s different interpretation of Camore. And each one is rock solid. But they don’t warrant much more discussion.
A good cover, but not an amazing one. Luckily, the book behind that cover is amazing. So it’s fine.
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